Best Budget Racing Wheels: Top Picks For PlayStation, Xbox, And PC

The relatively new Thrustmaster T248 takes our top spot on this list thanks to an ultra-premium build quality, stellar feel, top-notch force feedback, fast-shifting magnetic paddles, and realistic pedals. All of this combines to create an extremely impressive and immersive racing experience that will appeal to those who take their racing games seriously.

The T248 is designed for realism, which is readily apparent the first time you sit behind the wheel. It has three force feedback sensitivity settings to help you tailor the experience to your liking. It also has a whopping 25 action buttons and a pair of dual encoders, which means you have a dizzying number of options for mapping inputs to your preference. In addition to the customization, the wheel has a small screen that displays various stats (more than 20). Key stats include speed, laps, best lap time, tire RPMs. These stats aren’t displayed in all games, but most of the popular racing games of today are compatible with this feature.

The wheel itself is wrapped in premium synthetic leather that mimics the feel of sports cars. It comes with an easy-to-use clamp to fasten the wheel the securely to a desk or table. Along with the magnetic paddle gear shifters, the T248 comes with a three-pedals: throttle, clutch, and brake. A lot of pedal systems on racing wheels tend to have a flimsy and loose feel to them, but the T248’s magnetic pedal has excellent weighting and responsiveness, which really does make it feel like your revving an engine and gaining speed.

The Thrustmaster T248 is available for Xbox and PlayStation. The Xbox version is called the T248X. It would be nice to have this in a universal format that you could use on both platforms. However, both models are also compatible with PC. That means you could use the T248 for Gran Turismo 7 on PS5 and Forza Horizon 5 on PC. It is a fairly pricey wheel at $400, but if you’ve been using a cheaper wheel, you’ll likely notice a huge difference. The T248 is definitely aimed at enthusiasts, and we wouldn’t recommend it for beginners. But you really can’t go wrong with the T248 if you want a more realistic racing experience.